Watershed Program Restoration Projects

For nearly 10 years, the Santa Monica Baykeeper Watershed Program has conducted river and coastal restoration projects that have helped to improve water quality and viable habitats in the watersheds of the Los Angeles Basin. Our current collaboration is at Stone Canyon Creek on the UCLA campus.

Stone Canyon Creek Restoration

Please join the Santa Monica Baykeeper, Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, and UCLA Lab School to help restore the only remaining section of unburied creek on the UCLA campus.

Long ago, the once-mighty Stone Canyon Creek was a dominant feature of the UCLA campus. Over the years, as the campus expanded, the creek was routed underground. Today, only this small segment running through the ULS campus and behind the Anderson School of Management remains. Over time, the creek site was infested by invasive vegetation, which choked out the few remaining native plant species.

Help us eliminate this infestation of invasive vegetation and replant the area with native vegetation. This is real work that will really benefit the environment. The newly established vegetation will serve as habitat to birds and other wildlife on campus. Santa Monica Baykeeper will provide all the tools and training but we need your muscle!

Please see the Calendar section at left for our schedule and our flyer for more information on volunteering.

News Archive: March 2010 — Stone Canyon Creek Restoration Phase 1 Complete

Santa Monica Baykeeper has completed restoration of the 600ft reach of Stone Canyon Creek located behind the Anderson School of Management on UCLA's campus. Between April 2008 and March 2010, Baykeeper organized 20 individual volunteer events removing invasive vegetation and replanting with over appropriate native plants. Over 1750 native plants consisting of 37 different species were installed along the banks of the creek. Nearly 900 volunteers donating 2,387 work hours were recruited from various UCLA student groups, faculty, and alumni, community members and other Los Angeles area colleges and high schools for this task.

Baykeeper is now partnering with the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission and UCLA Lab School (ULS) to continue restoration efforts upstream on the ULS campus. Stone Canyon Creek runs through the elementary school's campus and provides a unique learning experience as an outdoor laboratory and will educate students about the ecological relationships and importance of habitat diversity for years to come.